cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/17758317

Here’s my original post on Feddit.org, a german instance: https://photon.slrpnk.net/post/17757233

I still made quite some effort to translate it manually for you.

I bought two phalaenopsis orchids about two months ago.

A pink, and a gold one.

First the pink one. I got it from a discounter, and… well it already looked like shit when I bought it. The roots were pretty much all dead.

Now, it recovered, and even put out its’ first flower spike!

It still looks a bit dehydrated/ leathery, but otherwise it’s in a stable condition and recovers very well.

The other one is from a proper garden center, AND IT LOOKED EVEN WORSE!

Not only were the roots completely mush, but it also had a new buddy in its sleeve, I call him “worm buddy”, my new pet.

Now, it looks like this:

It grew new flower pods and already started to bloom! How awesome is that?

On top of that, I showed the pictures a worker in the shop I bought it, and they were so embarrassed, that they gave me a voucher for a new plant, because they called it “inrecoverable”. So I got this Oncidium orchid additionally for free:

This post is just a small reminder that plants can be very tolerant to anything, and with some luck and experience, you can save them.

  • @shalafiEnglish
    4•2 days ago

    I assume that’s a hygrometer? Any tips on use or what to buy?

    EDIT: Crud. Wrong word. What’s it called and it is useful for less finicky plants?

    • Guenther_Amanita 🍄OPEnglish
      2•2 days ago

      It’s a water level indicator, made for hydroculture setups.

      I use LECA (expanded clay pebbles), which are constantly standing a few centimeters high in nutrient water and are moist all the time.

      I only have to water every few weeks because of that, and the indicator tells me when to water again.

      Here’s a post I made about that setup if you’re interested, including a schematic. Sadly only in German.
      https://photon.slrpnk.net/post/slrpnk.net/17681128

  • @IMALlamaEnglish
    2•2 days ago

    Glad to see them recovering! In my experience, phalaenopsis are very hardy and resilient. If anything, the seem to prefer some level of benign neglect - especially when potted in the junk big box stores sell them in. After repotting ours in well draining potting material about 7 years ago it’s been very smooth sailing.

  • guyEnglish
    6•3 days ago

    I remember that post! Glad to see that you managed to save it 😄

  • @hedge_lordEnglish
    6•3 days ago

    Inspirational! I have an orchid that I purchased at a discount because of its damaged root system. I’ve been caring for it for a few months and it doesn’t seem to be dying so I assume it’s happy. Not as happy as yours though!

    • Guenther_Amanita 🍄OPEnglish
      3•3 days ago

      Feel free to share a few pictures here! I’d he happy to see them! :)

      The key trick is humidity. I placed them under a humidity dome/ plastic bag for the first month, with some indirect light and very dilute nutrient solution. I didn’t want them to loose too much water. I also sprayed them with some rooting hormones, but that’s totally optional and probably not needed.

      And after the month, I slowly introduced them to the environmental air and increased the fertilizer strength to about 1 mS EC, so they have something to feed on. I am currently about to increase it even more, because they seem to need it. I was just very careful in the beginning, because orchids are supposed to be very sensitive and light feeders.